A Review of The Resurrection by Mike Duran
Back Cover:
When Ruby Case raises a boy from the dead, she creates an uproar in the quiet coastal town of Stonetree. Some brand her a witch; others, a godsend. But the controversy is just beginning. For the resurrection has awakened more than just a dead boy.
Reverend Ian Clark does not believe in miracles. Haunted by demons, both past and present, he is resigning from the ministry and has no interest in the city’s spiritual climate, much less it’s urban legends. But he is about to get a wake up call.
Together, Ruby and Reverend Clark are thrust into a search for answers . . . and a collision with unspeakable darkness. For the forces unleashed by Ruby threaten to destroy them all. In the coming battle this unlikely duo is the town’s only hope. But can they overcome their own brokenness in time to stop the evil, or will they be its next victim?
My Take:
Duran’s skill in weaving a variety of plots and subplots into the story was masterful. His careful alluding to the artifacts, the real meaning of Mr. Cellophane, even the real purpose for Reverend Clark and his stumbling wimpishness were all threads that provoked interest, Ruby’s meek, rather bland life, but subtly strong personality had me rooting for her from the beginning. Her crippled leg only added to the interesting image we saw. Reverend Clark and Ruby’s problems and personalities only aided and abetted the plots.
As usual, the church is the center for unrest and disturbance. As in most churches, the peaceful, believing Christians grow alongside those lacking in faith. Reverend Clark’s church was no exception. Members of the elite board fought change. Ruby and her two best friends pray for revival. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Ruby, God works through her in the raising of a dead teenager. Troubled by the sudden uprising of the town’s viewing of her miraculous power, she searches for truth. Why does she not have the power to raise others? What was the purpose of the boy’s resurrection? Shaken at the vision that literally lays her on the ground, she fights to maintain her mentality and normal existence. Only when Ruby finally understands the ultimate sacrifice demanded of her—death—does she find the answers she’s seeking.
Reverend Clark, on the other hand, has his own personal demons to fight. After the death of his beloved sister, and the divorce and desertion of his wife, Clark dips deeper and deeper into a melancholy state, unsure of his own beliefs, doubtful of God’s existence in the form the church has always viewed it. In a dangerous move, he turns to a seeming friend who dabbles in an evil that hovers over the community. On top of that, Clark is visited by a ghostly figure he daubs Mr. Cellophane, flees from the presence, and refuses to deal with it. At the peak of his despair, Clark, faced with a resurrection he can neither explain nor believe in, is forced to face his doubts. Once questioning and seeking, he sees the answers and begins down the path that will lead to ultimate victory, not only for his own spiritual welfare, but his church and the community as a whole.
The setting was prevalent and lent a weird feeling to the story. Talk of the fogs that hovered over the community, the atmosphere of smallness, the blend of education and backwardness, the mountains and valleys all were a part drawing the reader deeper into the story.
This was a fascinating story that lovers of a touch of “other worldly” will love.
Blessings!
Calvary and Easter
